Egypt under emergency rule after church attacks

ALEXANDRIA - Hundreds gathered Monday to mourn 45 Egyptian Christians killed in terror bombings just a week before Easter, after Cairo declared a state of emergency following the attacks on two churches.

The Islamic State group said it was behind the twin bombings that targeted Palm Sunday services at churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria, and threatened further attacks against Egypt’s Christian minority.

Sunday’s first bombing at the Mar Girgis church in Tanta city north of Cairo killed 28 people, the health ministry said.

The second struck outside Saint Mark’s church in Alexandria, killing 17 people after a suicide bomber was prevented from entering the building.

The violence comes ahead of Catholic Pope Francis’s first trip to Egypt later this month, which a Vatican official said will proceed as planned on April 28 and 29 despite the attacks.

A handful of black-clad women showed their identification papers to guards before being allowed to enter the church.

“I’m so sad, I cannot speak,” said one mourner, a woman in her 40s.

In addition to the death toll of 45 from the two explosions, scores more people were wounded and 35 remained in hospital on Monday.

In Cairo, the cabinet said it has approved President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to declare a three-month state of emergency, which was published on Monday by the official gazette. The state of emergency came into effect at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT).

Constitutionally, it still has to be presented to and approved by parliament within seven days, but this is a formality given the number of pro-Sisi delegates.

US President Donald Trump called Sisi after the bombings to express his condolences, Washington said on Monday.

“The President also expressed his confidence in President Al Sisi’s commitment to protect Christians and all Egyptians,” the White House said.

In a defiant speech on Sunday, Sisi warned that the war against militants would be “long and painful” after he ordered the army to protect “vital infrastructure” and boost security along Egypt’s borders.

However, rights groups accuse the former army chief of crushing even peaceful opposition to his rule. The pro-state daily paper Al-Bawaba said on its website that its Monday edition, which was critical of security provisions, had been banned from publication.